Their journey to Storm Queen City was still very long. Infori was walking, followed by Flynn and Nathan, through a dense forest filled with shady, green trees, with dark brown wood and roots.
The young leaves also blocked the hot sunlight, as it was midday, a time when the heat could kill if left untreated.
"It's hot, isn't it?" Nathan commented, commenting and complaining.
"It's always like that at middays. The heat could even kill you if you're not strong enough to tolerate the heat," Infori replied. Unlike Nathan, who complained, Infori accepted it as a normal part of life.
Nathan then took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping, his gait reflecting his current condition, and said, "This bag is even making my condition worse...!"
Hearing this, Infori chuckled, then replied in a tone that seemed to mock Nathan's choice.
"Haha. Who told you to choose a big bag? I told you to choose a bag that wasn't too big and bring less gear," Infori said sarcastically, "But you didn't listen. Old people like you can make fatal mistakes, huh?"
Nathan lamented his own fate for making the right decision but instead burdening himself with it, letting out a short sigh.
"Haah…"
But Nathan wasn't the only one feeling exhausted; Infori was experiencing the same thing. Although this had become a part of his life, it was still something he should have avoided.
He felt the heat at this time was like being burned alive by a powerful energy radiating from top to bottom.
Therefore, he asked Flynn—"Flynn, can we take a break? My legs are almost cramping after walking for hours, and they'll melt away from the weather."
Flynn looked back and heard him, then agreed to Infori's request. Because he was experiencing the same thing.
"Don't say that. Okay, let's take a break here. Honestly, my neck hurts a little too."
"That's it, my back hurts so bad!" said Nathan, relieved that they would have a short break before continuing their long journey.
They then temporarily shifted their destination from walking to a large, sturdy tree, its dense foliage perfect for resting under.
Nathan, feeling unsteady, quickly removed his backpack from his back and quickly placed it on the ground, unable to support its weight. He then sat down, leaning against the tree branch.
"Haah... Haah... So tired...!"
"Watch out, your clothes and pants will get dirty," Flynn said, merely warning him.
"I don't care, as long as I can sit under this nice tree, I'll do it..." Nathan replied.
"Yes, this time I agree with you," Infori said.
Infori then put his bag on the ground and climbed down to sit and lean against the same tree branch, the same as Flynn. The three of them regained their breath and relaxed their already tense muscles.
Although Flynn looked fit and healthy, he was still as exhausted as everyone else.
"My muscles are tense…"
"We've been walking too much. If only there were horse-drawn carriage rentals in the Storm of Road plaza, we might not be so exhausted," Infori said.
"That's a good idea… Good…" Nathan replied, agreeing with Infori's idea, but still panting.
The silence returned as they didn't speak at all, preoccupied with their own problems, with a nagging sense of exhaustion. Only the sound of tired sighs could be heard. Their gazes were fixed in the same direction, at the leaves on this still-living tree.
Infori remembered the vision he'd received after the Blades of Mirage were implanted in his back, a vision that showed a contrast between two contrasting worlds.
The Overworld, a world teeming with life, filled with green plants, free-flowing blue water, and birds soaring in the sky with the freedom they once possessed.
It was a stark contrast to the Underworld, which felt terrifying, with monsters watching his every move from the shadows, and its red sky signaling a sad, terrifying, and painful end.
But he quickly dismissed the thought, and at that moment, Nathan suddenly asked Infori a question.
"Oh yeah, when you were talking to those two girls, why did you say you didn't really trust them?"
Suddenly called, Infori snapped out of his daze and turned to look at Nathan.
"Huh?"
"Why did you say 'huh'? You know, I just wanted to know why," Nathan said again.
Flynn, who was listening, also agreed with Nathan's words. He also began to ask for clarification, but he didn't want to push him too hard.
"...You don't have to force yourself to tell me and Mr. Nathan. I don't know how you feel, but... Something clear can clear up a complicated mind, right?"
Infori fell silent, his gaze returning to the leaves.
"..."
⟨⟩ ⟨⟩ ⟨⟩
In the Knightley Queen office in the Knightley Queen building, the people Flynn was going to interrogate, as they were supposed to explain everything that had happened recently at the plaza.
"Alright, everyone's gathered. Let's talk calmly and cool-headedly about the issues that have been constantly cropping up at the plaza," Flynn said, sitting in a chair facing the window. In front of him was a table with several important documents that he clearly wouldn't discuss.
His gaze shifted to the few people he was going to question, such as Infori, who was standing, Lilith, and Iris, who were sitting in the two available chairs. Nathan, standing by the wall, leaned against it.
"More than I thought," Flynn said.
"Come on, you're always talking to your squad, aren't you?" Infori said, flashing a sarcastic smile.
This perked Flynn up a bit. He closed his eyes briefly, then quickly reopened them with a small smile, then finally decided to speak.
"You must know that lately, something very unpleasant has been happening on Storm Road," Flynn said, but he forgot one thing he ended up saying. "But before that, I want to thank you for being here."
"Yes, no problem," Lilith replied.
"Okay. You probably already understand what's been happening lately, but I also didn't expect such things to happen in this supposedly safe place."
Lilith, realizing and accepting that this was her fault, apologized to Flynn, "I'm sorry if we brought our problems into the safe area."
"It's okay, I won't blame you Seraphim for causing all the trouble," Flynn replied. "In fact, you're the victims of the chaos that's happening."
"Victims?" Infori asked.
"Yes."
Then, Flynn turned to Infori and asked her something. He also tried to remind her of the incident that had happened that year, which would have been quite serious if left unaddressed.
"Don't you remember that they were tricked by Takechi during the Gauntlet of Rebirth incident?"
"Oh yes. At that time, they tried to kill Miss Lilith and her friend on the spot," Infori replied, recalling the incident a few weeks ago. "So, what happened to Takechi after my fight with him that day?"
"He's safe, he's still in prison and being heavily guarded by knights."
Then, Flynn expressed a little suspicion about Takechi.
"In my opinion, it's due to the conflict between two kingdoms vying for territory, namely our kingdom: Stornia and the kingdom of Desorder. It's been suggested that the kingdom of Desorder sent an elite unit to secretly infiltrate the kingdom and try to obtain the information they seek."
"Wait, so you're saying...?"
"Yes, in my opinion, Takechi was part of the elite unit of the kingdom of Desorder sent to Stornia."